Student ‌Experience ‌and ‌Programme Quality as Determinants of Student Satisfaction and Employability in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions: Evidence from the Technical University of Mombasa, Kenya

Abstract

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is widely regarded as a core mechanism for building a skilled labour force that can sustain industrial expansion, innovation, and long-term economic development. In Kenya, reform efforts continue, yet there remains limited empirical work showing how multiple aspects of student experience, taken together, relate to student satisfaction and perceived employability in TVET settings. This study assessed how teaching quality and curriculum relevance, learning resources and institutional facilities, student support services and industry exposure, financial constraints, and employability preparedness relate to overall student satisfaction at the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM-TVET Institute). A descriptive cross-sectional design was applied through a mixed-methods strategy, with quantitative data providing the main evidence and qualitative responses offering interpretive depth. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from 248 students and analysed through descriptive statistics, thematic analysis, and multiple linear regression. Results indicate generally favourable views of teaching quality, curriculum relevance, institutional standing, and employability preparedness. At the same time, respondents pointed to clear weaknesses in practical training, connections with industry, student support provision, ICT capacity, and financial support. In the regression model, employability preparedness (β = 0.218, p < 0.001), learning resources and institutional facilities (β = 0.102, p = 0.011), and student support services and industry exposure (β = 0.066, p = 0.031) emerged as significant predictors of overall student satisfaction. Teaching quality and curriculum relevance, along with financial constraints, did not show statistically significant independent effects once other factors were controlled. The study therefore argues that satisfaction in TVET settings is driven mainly by employability confidence, access to adequate learning resources, and effective institutional support, more than by classroom teaching alone. Strengthening industry linkages, widening experiential learning, upgrading infrastructure, improving student support systems, and embedding continuous quality improvement are recommended to raise educational quality and graduate employability across Kenya’s TVET sector.